A good chunk of my musical education came from Julien. We grew up in the same town, came out around the same time, were opposites in many ways, yet he could make me laugh like no one else and 20 years later I still think of him as a close friend. We gravitated to opposite coasts; he lives in New York City, and I live in San Francisco. Julien loves house music and I have several cassette compilations he made for me of his “most influential tracks”.

Hercules And Love Affair’s Andy Butler grew up in Denver listening to house and disco music, and he too gravitated to New York. Andy gets it. While he’s able to score critical and commercial success by collaborating with Antony, he’s also able to craft some of the most down ‘n’ dirty Chicago House tracks this side of 1988 – tracks that feel like it’s 4am in an illegal basement club, packed wall-to-wall with dancers, while condensation drips from the ceiling. In other words, tracks I could have pulled right off Julien’s cassettes.

This is not a gay “WHOO WHOO” throw your hands in the air sort of mix, it’s something to immerse yourself in and let yourself go. It’s funky, trippy, hypnotic, and builds to a beautiful release.

It’s now been 29 months since my last Kiss The Future mix. On one hand I feel like I should talk a little bit about what I’ve been doing and why I’ve chosen these songs, but instead I think I’ll let the music do the talking.

The last few weeks have brought us new albums by Daft Punk, Siouxsie, and Underworld. Goldfrapp’s forthcoming album has been leaked. Britney Spears continues to be a pop wreck, with her little sister now joining the team. Led Zeppelin took the stage together for the first time since 1985. Scissor Sisters released a fan-only single limited to 300 copies that subsequently pissed off a lot of the fans. I saw The Rapture in concert twice this year. Green Velvet working with Chicago house legend Jamie Principle makes me very happy.

Buster’s presence is helping me make it through the stress of my day job and of the holidays, and when I’m recording a new mix he sits next to my laptop and watches me intently.

Goldfrapp

Black Gloves (Extended) by Goose
Perfect (Michi Lange Sidekick Remix) by Princess Superstar
Wayfarer by Kavinsky
Number 1 (Alan Braxe And Fred Falke Main Remix) by Goldfrapp
I Could Fall In Love With You (Monteverde Vocal Extended Remix) by Erasure
What Do I Want From You? by Freeform Five
She’s Madonna (Kris Menace Vocal Re-interpretation) by Robbie Williams
I Walk Alone (Haji & Emanuel Remix) by Those Guys
AC 775 by Motor
Blue Monday (DJ Dan Remix) by Orgy
She’s Good For Business by MSTRKRFT
Je Veux Te Voir by Yelle

“I love you baby, but face it; she’s Madonna.”

I love the new Erasure single. Vince Clark also shares a co-writing credit on the Freeform Five track which follows it.

I’m almost embarrassed to have Orgy’s name up there, but you have to hear the mix. It’s an embellished chunk of the original Blue Monday and the only surviving part of Orgy’s version is one line of the vocals. Yes, I know it’s nine years old.

Speaking of loops, I’ve finally hit on why it is that I hate 90’s dance music so much: the overuse of looped samples. Loops are lazy. It’s like “Here’s one bar of sampled drums; this will be your rhythm for the entire track.” I’m so happy that artists are going back to programming drum machines or just playing the fuckers live.

I have long wanted to do a mix of the old & new singles/B-sides/remixes from Depeche Mode’s Violator album, and along with the Erasure and Nitzer Ebb mixes found in these pages I consider this the third part of a Mute Records trilogy.

“Believe me, doll – we’re all through. There’s no money in the underground.”

Readers Wifes are Chelsea Kelsey and Kim Phaggs, the DJs from infamous London club Duckie. I went to Duckie during a trip to London and had one of my best nights out, ever. The narration on Nostalgia is done by Justin Bond, a.k.a. Kiki of New York drag cabaret act Kiki & Herb.

I got Bossy from Mark in Portland.

The lead vocal on Strange Sounds is an incognito Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters, singing with a pinched nose.

Goldfrapp

Buffalo Gals by Malcolm McLaren
Outsiders (DJ Twitch & The Truffle Club’s Optimo Refreak) by Franz Ferdinand
Get Myself Into It (Prince Language Disco Edit) by The Rapture
Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads
Cavern by Liquid Liquid
Shack Up by A Certain Ratio
Do The Du by A Cerain Ratio
Biting My Nails (Instrumental Club Mix) by Renegade Soundwave
Over And Over (Justus Kohncke’s Baking Horse Club Mix) by Hot Chip
White Horse by Laid Back
Ride A White Horse (FK Disco Whores Dub) by Goldfrapp
Whoo! Alright – Yeah…Uh Huh by The Rapture
Genius Of Love by Tom Tom Club

Goldfrapp

Computer Love by Kraftwerk
Talk by Coldplay
Hurt by New Order
I Feel Love by Donna Summer
You Gonna Want Me (12″ Dance Mix) by Tiga
Ride A White Horse (Serge Santiago Re-Edit) by Goldfrapp
White Horse by Laid Back
I Don’t Need God by Greater Than One
Christianity Is Stupid by Negativland
Sympathy For The Devil (Who Killed The Kennedys?) by Laibach
Baby’s On Fire by Brian Eno
All Saints by David Bowie
Margaret’s Apartment II from Liquid Sky
Empire State Human by The Human League
Oberkorn (It’s A Small Town) by Depeche Mode
Murderous (Phil Kieran Remix) by Nitzer Ebb
Nag Nag Nag (Tiga & Zyntherius Full Version) by Cabaret Voltaire
Stripper by Miss Kittin & The Hacker
Idioteque (Live) by Radiohead